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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Feeling my age

This is how it should fit.

I suppose I could post this on my fitness blog, but since that is nearly defunct, I figure I will mention it here as a way of keeping myself in check.

I recently bought a custom t-shirt from Zazzle to wear to a gaming convention, and it arrived yesterday. I eagerly ripped open the package and tried it on right there in the kitchen. But, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I realized that a Large is not big enough for me. Specifically, in the region of my gut. It's snug across the chest and arms, which is fine, as that's how a t-shirt should fit. Especially one with the word "BARBARIAN" emblazoned across the front. But that gut sticking out just kills the whole motif.

So, after about five minutes of depression, I took a deep breath, and put it all in perspective. I know that my fitness and over all health has been declining in the past few months. I attribute some of it to the stress of all that has gone on recently, but a lot of it is just me being lazy. My blood sugars have gotten worse again, as well, which is also a huge factor. Once I admitted this to myself, I actually felt better. This t-shirt served as a sort of wake-up call.

Our new apartment complex has a nice gym that is open early, and stays open late. I am going to make it a point to hit that equipment at least three times a week. Also, I want to increase the amount of cardio I do. The lunchtime walks around the capitol are nice, but it's really only "maintenance" exercise. If I want to lose the 25 or so pounds I really need to, I need to step it up.

In light of that, I am going to concentrate on healthier eating (mainly smaller portions, but also cutting back on some foods), and increasing my activity. I'm not going to become a fitness fanatic, because that's just not me. I don't want to hate fitness, and I don't want to burn out on it (again). I just want to feel more healthy.

And to lose this gut.

The t-shirt will go on a hanger and be hung on my wall next to my bed. It will serve as a constant reminder of "Get up and move, fat ass!"

3 comments:

I feel your pain, man. I'm in the midst of my own weight struggle. Gamers need to take better care of themselves, me included. We need to balance out all that sitting at the table with some exercise, better nutrition, etc. Maybe that's part of giving the hobby a better rep: showing people that gamers don't have to be out-of-shape. Don't be ashamed to bring healthy snacks to the game table to replace the Mountain Dew (Dr. Pepper for my fellow C&C fans) and Cheetos!

You should go for the work out and cardio man. Believe me, it gets harder and harder to get into that kind of routine as you get older. and unfortunately my motorcycle accident makes it hard for me to do workouts that bend or twist my back, and as a result I'm getting in worse shape all the time. So do it while you can.